Contemplation​in Action:Missionary Thoughts Of The Week

Missionary Objective #7:To teach people to live as God sees us - First, by the example of our own lives; then, by friendship; then, by words.

​ We reflect this week on the role of the human voice in spiritual nourishment.

In human development, one of the earliest sensory imprints is the sound of voices. Among ambient sounds, human voices are amazingly recognizable, though variable in pitch, tone, volume and timbre – from person to person, and also within the range of each individual speaker. The first sound we record in our self-awareness is our mother’s voice, which we go on to associate with safety and security for the rest of our lives.

In short, humans are wired such that voices evoke emotion in us, and connect us to others.

​No matter how reliant we become on convenience communication, nothing surpasses voice to voice in the potency of the emotion it evokes and the connections that form between speaker and listener.

As one’s fingerprints are a unique physical signature, a person’s voice is both a physical and an ethereal signature of our unique human personality. Our voices bring forth the words we think and the manner in which we think them. Voices can be gentle or harsh, firm or wavering. Voices can persuade in a way written letters cannot. We all know the difference between a recorded voice and a live person on the telephone (and the astonishment we feel when we realize it is a real person on the line with us!) Static letters on a billboard may stick in our memory, but if we want to sell someone on an idea, we know that human speech is the best route.

These are many of the reasons why there is such concern when young children are late talkers, dysfluent speakers or completely nonverbal. More than just a milestone on a checklist, speech development is the next level of connection between parent and child, child and adults, child to child. When speech is delayed or absent, an entire channel of accessibility is missing. Surrounding people become anxious when words go unanswered, and silent people are mysteries to us – sometimes, even threats – if we cannot know their thoughts, feelings or intentions.

Absence of voice is a true obstacle for many people with autism. We are aware of the glitches in speech processing and production, and then there is the measure of difficulty compounded by anxiety. Sometimes, we have a genuine loss for words. Sometimes, we do not know when or how or where to enter a conversation. Sometimes, we experience thought lag, creating too long of a pause for people to know we are still engaged with them.

Sometimes, it is a fear of our own voice – because we do not recognize the way others perceive us, and we sound foreign to ourselves.

Sometimes, it is dread of being known.

Many times, people without any diagnosis face these obstacles, the same as anyone else does.

None of these conditions make us any less human, or any less dependent on human connections for spiritual nourishment.

​What are we to do, then, when our voices are genuinely impaired, either by a physical condition, or by the processing detours caused by autism, or by anxiety? What if we speak, but are not heard? What if we are heard, but not understood? What if we are dependent on assistive technology to speak for us?

Simply:

1 – Remember that the human voice is a rich source of spiritual nourishment.

2 – Seek voice connection wherever possible, even if it means more time, more effort. Richer nourishment is always better in the long run than convenience.

3 – Even if we cannot give our voices right now, we can make a deliberate effort to receive the voices of others.

Let us therefore value the individuals around us: seeking the best in each person, making ourselves known to them, and giving them the opportunity to be received.

This means:

If we have a solid speaking capacity, let us use it to value the individuals around us, to seek the best in each person, and to make ourselves known to them. Give others the opportunity to be received by us.

If we struggle to speak, let us, even in our struggle, value the individuals around us, seeking the best in each person, and making ourselves known to them. We can still give others the opportunity to be received by us by listening, attending to and valuing them.

If we use assistive technology, let us use our PECS, our AAC boards, our tablets, our smartphones and any other devices to value the individuals around us, to seek the best in each person, and to make ourselves known to them. Even when we are unable to use our voices, we can still be present to the others around us in every other capacity.

​Our spiritual patron, St. Thorlak of Iceland, struggled with his voice his entire life. He was often incapacitated by his impairment and depended on others to speak for him. When he could not speak, he made sure to listen with genuine care for those around him. He did what he could with all that he had – and made a lasting impact on all of Iceland, on the Roman Catholic Church, and on each one of us, here, today. Give that a moment to sink in. One person, who lived over eight hundred years ago in one of the most remote places on earth, did what he could with all that he had, even when he suffered physical pain attempting to speak. He did this with such love that we, eight hundred years later, are still using his example to form deeper and more meaningful relationships with the people around us.

If he can do that, let us pray that we can, too.

​Pray (aloud, if possible): Heavenly Father, we lift up our voices in greeting You here; help us also to greet You in the others around us, and to listen for Your response in their voices.

Contemplate: Why is using our voice an essential step toward being known by others? How do we know others better through their actual, audible voices?

Relate: Choose connection over convenience. Try at least once this week to make a voice to voice connection even when more convenient options (like text/sms or email) are available.